Upper St. Clair sweeps WPIAL titles in largest class
After Upper St. Clair suffered its third straight loss in the 2023 WPIAL Class 6A girls basketball final, then-sophomore Rylee Kalocay vowed during the post-game press conference that she would win a championship for Pete Serio, who has been the Lady Panthers’ head coach for the last 11 seasons.
After a one-year hiatus due to knee surgery for an ACL tear, Kalocay delivered on her promise.
The Kent State recruit scored a game-high 13 points, including two off a layup with 11 seconds to play, dished up five assists and grabbed four defensive rebounds to lead USC to victory, 45-40, over defending champion and No. 1-seeded Norwin in district final played March 1 at the Petersen Events Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
“Two years ago, we sat here (in the press room), and Rylee told everyone she would be back and we would win one,” Serio said. “Here we are.”
Although the Panthers streaked to a 22-10 lead midway through the second stanza, thanks to a hot hand of knocking down five of its first 11 shots and burying five 3-point field goals, the Knights fought back, tying the match at 37 on a jumper by Ava Christopher with 2:52 to play. Norwin used a 3-pointer by Bella Furno to cap a 9-point run and vaulted into its first and only lead, 40-37.
Kalocay responded with a tying trey, 40-40, with 1:55 to play. Ryan Prunzik converted a Norwin turnover into a go-ahead layup, 42-40, with 1:38 to play. Kalocay, who added a free throw, iced the victory with a fastbreak layup with 10 seconds to play.
In addition to Kalocay, Prunzik finished in double figures with 11 markers. She added three assists and three steals to go along with four rebounds.
Meredith Huzjak (8), Claire Rosenberry (2), Ekaterina Polstyanko (6) and Grace Howell (5) also contributed to USC’s scoring.
For the Panthers, it was their seventh WPIAL title in program history and first since 2008.
Meanwhile, the USC men matched the Lady Panthers, claiming their second straight banner with a 65-43 victory over New Castle in the 6A final played Feb. 28 also at the Petersen Events Center.
USC’s sweep of boys and girls titles marked the fourth time that has happened in the WPIAL’s largest classification. The Panthers joined Mt. Lebanon in 2010 and Penn Hills in 1987 on the list. In 1996, USC won the boys and girls banners as well.
The USC men have captured WPIAL championships also in 2005 and 2021 before their back-to-back triumphs in 2024 and 2025.
“This one’s different because it’s back to back,” said Dan Holzer, who has coached all five of USC’s championship clubs. “We were preseason No. 1 by everybody. Everyone was gunning for us. We went wire to wire and that’s hard to do at any level in any sport.”
Against New Castle, the Robbins siblings led USC’s attack. Tyler, a 6-foot-10 senior bound for Miami (Ohio) fired in 12 points, pulled down 12 rebounds and blocked five shots. Ryan, a 6-8 sophomore better known for his blocking skills in football, provided nine points to go along with two blocked shots and rebounds.
Thanks to the Robbins brothers, USC held a 39-23 edge rebounding. The Panthers also shot 45% (18 of 40) from the field; 47% (8 of 17) from 3-point range.
Nico Gidas, a senior guard, made 3 of 6 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Jake Foster made 2 of 3 behind the arc and collected 10 points. Tyler Robbins, Julian Dahlem and Kaamil Jackson also buried 3-pointers in the win. Dahlem finished with eight points and eight assists while Jackson chipped in nine points. Gianni Disora, Luke Marchinsky, Dane York and Jake Casares also broke into the scoring column for the Panthers.
With their wins, the USC girls improved to 19-6 overall and advanced to host Manheim Township in the opening round of the PIAA tournament. The USC men (23-2) moved on to face William Penn, the No. 8 team from District 3, in their state playoff opener.